Changes: Chermaine Hewitt at the soon-to-open Mokai club in Church Street. Below: Michelle Keegan

Rumes in Church Street shut its doors earlier this summer, with new owners keen to boost footfall.

Michelle Keegan

Now bosses have revealed it will relaunch as Mokai on September 15, with former Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan as star guest.

Manager Chermaine Hewitt said: “When we took over, the club wasn’t very busy and we wanted to give it a facelift and give Perston something different.

“The main club with the balcony is now completely black, with red pillars, and the side room will be all white, with LED lights. They will both play different music, for example rock in one and rave in another.”

The club will be open seven nights a week, with Monday to Friday aimed at students, but there are also plans for a Bounce by the Ounce rave night, and a Northern Soul event.

Chermaine added: “The student market is massive, but we’re keen to also put on things to draw in the over-25s, the ones that are sat at home with money in their pockets.

“I’ve had a chat with local councillors and other traders about the night time economy, and I’m interested in getting network events going to improve the variety of offerings.”

Chermaine said choosing the name was the hardest part of the overhaul.

She said: “We were struggling to think of names, so my business partner went online for some inspiration. We came across a club in Miami called Mokai and we liked the name. We think that club’s changed now though, so we could be the only one in the world.”

She added: “In native Australian, the name Mokai means ‘to inspire and have fun’. That sounded like a nice idea!”